Victorian Undead

While I feel like the whole zombie thing is a bit overplayed at this point, it's Halloween, so a good monster short is in order.  Paravel Films 'Victorian Undead' is pretty straightforward with the story: A Victorian-era woman is walking through the woods on a path, and encounters a zombie.  She finds more and more, they outnumber her by a large number, and... Yeah. You can figure out the rest from there. But what's truly cool about this short, is the cinematography. It's shot awesomely, and is fun to watch regardless of the lack of riveting story. Happy Halloween, y'all!

Moullinex - Take My Pain Away

This video has garnered 3,000 views since it's debut in mid October, and I think it's absolutely baffling. Granted, Moullinex just debuted with his album, 'Flora' just a few days ago, but I think it's a little criminal that a song this catchy isn't in the hundreds of thousands just yet. The disco tinged tune features a vocal accompaniment from the Lisboa based Jovens Vozes De Lisboa child choir and a music video that will have your head spinning by the end of it. Check it out, spread the word.

Primal Carnage - Worth Checking Out

I've been surprised at the quality of titles that indie startups have been putting out as of late (Even more than usual), offering some solid experiences that inch closer and closer towards AAA, without losing their personality. Lukewar Media's Primal Carnage appeared on our radars a few months back, and caught our attention for trying to tackle an FPS/genre niche that people have been requesting for years now, as well as fulfilling our desire to finally get a game that would satiate our desire for a proper Jurassic Park style multiplayer experience, pitting dinosaurs versus mercenaries in a variety of environments with diverse lighting scenarios.

The influence is undeniable, with maps in the game reminding me of the abandoned Isla Soma/InGen Labs facilities present in the third installment of Jurassic Park, overrun by the local carnivorous fauna. We had a change to give the recently launched game a spin, and were pleasantly surprised by how fun the game is. The game currently only has a team deathmatch mode, in which you're either placed on a human or dinosaur team, and get to choose a slew of different characters with significantly different gameplay mechanics. My favorite was the Trapper class on the human side, who had a net gun that could immobilize smaller dinosaurs or slow down larger ones. Timing was key due to the slow reload on the net gun, or else you'd get your ass pounced on and chewed to bits. Other classes had features like flares for blinding dinosaurs or tranq darts for slowing the bigger beasties down.



The dinosaur side absolutely blew me away, featuring a completely different perspective for playing them (Third person) and a half dozen different ways to annihilate the human competition. From the pteranodon, who has the ability to swoop in and pick up mercs before drop them to their death from a high altitude, to the incredibly fun dilophosaurus with his blinding spit attack, I had a blast getting my hands on the different primals. Having 7 players on your team also unlocks the TRex, who can pretty much wreak havocs on human mercs with a vicious bite attack if left unchecked. There's something incredibly satisfying about landing a raptor pounce on an unsuspecting merc, a visceral feeling that this game delivers on in spades.

The assymetrical nature of the gameplay definitely did leave a positive impression, as it became very obvious, very quick that humans had to stick together in packs to survive versus the dinosaurs, who excel at going solo. In a visual sense, the game is beautiful to look at, taking full advantage of the Unreal tech it's built upon while not being too taxing on your system. The game especially shines in daylight maps, with some truly beautiful looking jungle environments. My only complaint would come in the form of the Firestarter class on the human side, who looks like a strange pastiche of scifi/Gears of War elements with his flamethrower/chainsaw and doesn't quite fit in with the other characters.

For $15, this indie game delivers a solid, fun multiplayer experience with some awesome niche appeal. The game currently has 10 classes, 5 multiplayer maps with free DLC already announced for a series of new, objective based map modes. Give it a shot and last but not least, hold on to your butts.

LUX

LUX is an incredibly stylized animation conveying some of the prettiest colors I've seen in an animation in quite some time. Juliette Oberndorfer's work is truly something original that I recommend you all give a bit of time to watch. Also, if you have lots of drugs I suggest you take them all. At the same time, then watch it. The last two minutes might be a life changing event for you. Trust me.

No, but seriously, please don't do that.

Grand Theft Auto V: It's Coming

 

I feel like there will never come a day where I'm not excited for a new Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar has made it pretty obvious that they can basically do no wrong (ignoring their god awful PC ports, of course). When word broke that December's issue of Game Informer would be releasing an 18-page story for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto V, I knew it was only a matter of time for the release date to be announced. 

With a Spring 2013 release date, GTAV is looking to be one of the last few great games of this generation, because let's be honest with ourselves, there's almost no chance console announcements won't be happening during E3 2013.

Hobbit WETA Airport Sculpture Is Precious!

A large number of people are excited for Peter Jackson's newest venture into the world of Lord Of The Rings. The upcoming flick is the first of a new trilogy based off the famous book The Hobbit, and like the original Lord Of The Rings trilogy is mostly being filmed on location in New Zealand.

In honor of the first installments release on December 14th, Wellington airport in New Zealand has erected a giant promotional sculpture of one of the most iconic character in the movies, Gollum. The statue, built by world famous FX house WETA workshop stands at 13m wide with a large number of fish to keep him happy whilst he protects his precious ring. You can watch a timelapse of the installation video by Weta Digital above, and check out a selection of installation photos after the break!

Tim Reynolds' Isometric Worlds

Tim Reynolds embarked on a very curious journey to see if he could figure out how to create a new illustration style based out of limitations, and I think he definitely came up with some incredible interesting results. He imposed himself with the limitation of an isometric perspective and low poly modeling, and has been chronicling his progress.

The results are pretty remarkable, with pieces that embrace the chunky, low poly angularity and turn them into something visually striking with the help of some well thought out color choices. After going through his gallery all I could think about is how much I'd love to see a game with this type of art style, as I've always loved the 'less is more' approach. Check out more of his experimentation after the break!

Sensory Overload

This short was created as part of a multimedia project to showcase what living with a condition like autism can feel like, showcasing a common system known as sensory overload. People with said condition can at times experience intense overloads of stimuli without being able to drown it out, and the effect as you might imagine is incredibly unpleasant.

Miguel Jiron's video did a fantastic job at capturing the essence of just one of the struggles that autistic people have to live with, handling the subject matter in a very delicate, sensitive manner. Masterfully done.

Two Fingers - Vengeance

Amon Tobin's latest electro track comes in the form of Vengeance Rythm, a strung out stop motion exercise in violence brought to life by animator Chris Ullens. A teddy bear rampage results in some spectacular toy fatalities, with nothing held back. Heads explode in slow motion, toy grenades rip stuffed animals into a thousand pieces and a once cute room turns into a toy cemetery. Despite the sound being nothing spectacular (Typical dubstep fare), the visuals absolutely make up for that in every way imaginable.

The Art Of Nic Ponim

(Via)

Some concept artists take the route of being jack of all trades, in an attempt to be more marketable as a well rounded asset, while others choose to focus on one aspect and just get really damn good at it. Polish artist Nic Ponim falls into the latter, having chosen to focus specifically on environmental illustrations and all it entails, ranging from mastering lighting scenarios to color theory.

When you think about it, painting environments is pretty daunting to those inexperienced with it. Having to juggle a few dozen factors at once is no easy task, until you get a process down. Here's a partial list of things to think about when painting an environment : Value, color harmony, lighting color, lighting direction, shape language, depth of field, composition and focal. Pretty mind blowing, huh? Yet with a few years of practice, these elements become second nature. Check out more of Nic's work after the break!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Fences won't keep us apart!! (Via)

Well, we did it! We had our first convention booth!  The Awesome-Robo booth at the Wizard World Comic Con here in Austin looked great, and we had a blast.  Learned some awesome new stuff, and met some great people.  Needless to say, we're exhausted.  While we wish we were on vacation this week, our 9-5's need us. So instead, here's the weekly mixtape, will all of the fluff 'n stuff to keep us going. AND... It's on time this week!  (*ahem)

More after the break!

Creature With The Atom Brain - Black Rider Run

Really dug the fuzzy sound of this Belgian alt-rock/stoner group, and the equally awesome music video following a Ghost-Rider esque rider chasing down a victim in his station wagon of doom. Featuring the most excellent vocals of Aldo Dtruyf (Who also is part of the Millionaires), the music video delivers a healthy dose of strange, Halloween flavored goodness. The track is from their 2012 release, 'The Birds Fly Low,' which you can get over here.

Empty America - New York City

With the so dubbed 'Frankenstorm' heading towards the east coast as we speak, this couldn't have been a more relevant video to release today. New York landmarks are desolate, streets are abandoned and people are hunkering down in their homes for a hurricane that is set to cause unknown amounts of damage to the region. Whereas Thrashlabs' videos of empty cities previously ushered in discussion as to how on earth they captured footage of typically bustling cities looking completely empty, this current footage stands as a reflection of the atypical current state of the city.

The Painterly Art Of Peleng

(Via)

I'm sure that Peleng (Sergey Kolesov) has definitely been enjoying the attention following the launch of Arkane Studios' critically acclaimed Dishonored, having played a big part in shaping the visual style of the game. In collaboration with art director Viktor Antonov (Best known previously for Half Life 2), Sergey worked externally as a freelancer from his home base in the Czech Republic to shape the look of the world that Corvo inhabits.

As well as being incredibly prolific with regular updates, Sergey always experiments with new techniques and approaches for digital painting, never sticking to the comfort zone that most artists fall into. His work is more on the painterly, implied side rather than overly rendered, implying that he has great control over how much visual information he needs to put down for something to read. The result is a portfolio with an amazing amount of variety, and all his pieces have a great sense of personality to them. Check out a small sampling of his more finished pieces after the break, and I'd highly recommend browsing his sketches and speedpaint section on his website.

Water Projection Is Still Awesome

I feel like there's never been an instance of 3D projection where I though, "wow this is f*cking horrible", that instance still hasn't occurred after watching Beginning. Using some interesting geometry, water, and a projector, Beginning is an incredible piece of work that I truly wish I could have seen in person. Luckily, we have the internet for events such as this where we can watch them as many times as we want. Check it out, it's truly awesome!.

Nintendohemian Rhapsody

Queen is widely considered as one of the greatest bands in the world, considering their track record which placed them in the Rock and Roll hall of fame: 18 albums, and 18 number one singles totaling sales in the hundreds of millions. Just about everyone and their mother has had a chance to hear a Queen song through the years, whether through a movie or even a parody, which is what we have today.

This funny little parody is a take on Bohemian Rhapsody shoved through a crunchy, 8-bit retro videogame nostalgia synthesizer. Starring Pat The NES Punk & Brentalfloss (two Youtubers I must admit I had never heard of before) singing about their love of their Nintendo consoles. Whilst the video itself is nothing to write home about, I really enjoyed the song (Who doesn't love that melody) and the pure passion of these guys.

Le Taxidermiste

Made by the folks over at Supinfocum (who we've featured several times) comes the animated short 'Le Taxidermiste' (or, 'The Taxidermist'... clearly...). An old woman is recently made a widow, and enlists the help of a trio of funeral directors. As they enter her home, it becomes clear that either she or her late husband (or I guess both) were taxidermists. The art style is definitely interesting, the characters look to be a mix of E.T. and a current internet star, The Grumpy Cat. The audio is pretty well downplayed, with dialogue non-existent. For such a sad circumstance, there's thankfully a few moments of humor, albeit  dark.

The DARPA Pet-Proto Robot

It looks the folks over at DARPA have had their hands full with advancing their robotics programs, as this latest video showcases some true leaps and bounds in robotic mobility. The robot, dubbed 'Pet-Proto' is shown traversing an obstacle course that features dismounts, gaps and limited climbing (With human assistance). It's still pretty amazingly clumsy and somewhat reminiscent of a man drunkenly stumbling through a hallway, but when it comes to robotics I definitely acknowledge that it's one baby step at a time.

On a related note, they also have made some amazing strides in regards to their mule walker (Legged Squad Support System) program, which no longer emits the sounds of an unholy mechanical abomination. Check that out after the break!

Skate 3 GLitching - If It's Broke, Don't Fix It

As the scope of games have become more and more massive and complex over the course of the last decade or so, it's been tougher and tougher to iron out all the bugs and glitches at launch for most AAA titles. Some of these bugs yield nasty results like destroying saves, corrupting files or making it impossible to progress, while others yield absolutely hilarious results while also being harmless.

From Mass Effect 3's countless launch glitches to Red Dead Redemption's infamous animation 'issues,' it's become somewhat accepted that games aren't always polished to perfection. Yet in the case of EA's Skate 3, let's just conclude that they rushed the product out and decided to say, 'F*** it,' as showcased by this 10 minute compilation of utter physics based insanity, culminating in skaters flying like birds or being blasted  into the stratosphere for daring to step on inert wooden planks. Thank you HelixSnake, for dedicating that much time to showing off just how amazingly broken this game is.

Evil Dead Remake Trailer Is The Most NSFW Trailer Of The Year

As much as I might want to hate the idea of a modern retelling of Evil Dead, this red band trailer does everything right in terms of getting me excited. While this trailer has gotten me more than comfortable with the the idea that this might actually work, others are not so keen on the idea. The common argument seems to lie in the belief that original was an over-the-top cheesefest that did nothing but spoof itself throughout the entirety of the movie. While this might be true for the original's sequels, Evil Dead was most certainly your typical gorefest, with subtle touches of humor. While this trailer shows nothing but over-the-top violence, I'm still betting on some comedic nods to the original while keeping it fresh for new audiences.

I still plan to hold my final judgement for it's release in 2013, but until then I can safely say I'll sleep a bit more comfortably knowing this is actually moving in the right direction.

Team Fortress 2: World War Boo!

(Via)

Team Fortress 2 has officially begun updating for the Halloween season! Every year Team Fortress 2 uses it's unique style to create a spooktacular update with new weapons, maps and a boss enemy. In the past we've had the Horseless Headman Horsemann and the almighty Monoculus, though this years could possibly be the most unique and frightening... 

Though we don't know the full details, we know at least a few things; we might be fighting armies of Racoons (which would make TF2 the greatest game of all time) and that zombie reskins of the classes have appeared hidden within during recent updates . Though for now everything is speculation, we can at least enjoy the comic prequel. The soldier has got the Team Fortress crew into a mess, and it proves the age old saying correct:  You don't annoy powerful ex-roommates who have the ability to mess with the dark arts. Check out the prequel comic to the Halloween game mode after the jump and prepare yourself for one spooky update....

The Art Of Travel Foreman

Travel Foreman is a relatively new name in the comic book scene, but he's already left quite an impression thanks to his stark, contrasty style. I don't really read comic books often, but when I saw the work he did for the incredibly dark, visceral reboot of DC's Animal Man (A relatively obscure character), I knew this was one of the best things to come out of the entire 'New 52' reboot. The Animal Man relaunch went on to become a NY Times bestseller due to the rave reviews it received.

Travel embraces the surreal and the twisted in his work, and his fresh visual take on superheroes has already garnered him a steady stream of work on comic series like God Of War, Iron Fist, Loki (Featured above) and others. Check out some of his other work for Animal Man after the break!

Silhouettes From Popular Culture By Olly Moss

We recently received an advance copy of Olly Moss' upcoming art book debut, 'Silhouettes From Popular Culture.' Having featured Olly's work about a half dozen times since AwesomeRobo came online (The last being his excellent Dark Knight Rises poster), we were honored to get a sneak peek at what his debut book had to offer, and invite you to check out the gorgeous book in our video preview.

The beautiful 144 page book, which featured a fabric cover and was decorated with gold colored print is a celebration of famous characters in pop culture, presented in a silhouette style reminiscent of Victorian era silhouette portraits. Olly did a fantastic job presenting classic characters in this new style, whilst still keeping them recognizable, and the end result reminds you about what made these characters so memorable. I'd highly recommend preordering a copy of 'Silhouettes from Popular Culture' before it comes out on the 30th, as it's obviously a labor of love by the English graphic designer/illustrator. Highly recommended.

Cupidon

'Cupidon' is the French student animated short about, you guessed it, Cupid. He goes about his day-to-day job of making people fall in love. You know, a typical Monday. Except he gets careless and makes the mistake of shooting his arrow twice into the same guy. What happens under that circumstance? He creates a narcissist, obviously. Luckily for him it all works out in the end. Or does it? While I loved some of the art and definitely the use of color, I wasn't too into the somewhat stiff animation. But the fun, cute story more than makes up for that!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Better late than never! This week we're putting all of the final details together for our very first convention booth (Wizard World Comic Con this Friday through Sunday here in Austin, please stop by!), so I'm a tad late getting this week's Cute Mixtape out. But! I think I've found some rather awesome stuff this week, and I hope you enjoy all that is fluffy and adorable. More after the break in edition XXVIV of our awesome cute mixtape!

Arcane By Bastian Belveaux

Bastian Belveaux's dystopian short was created as a graduation short from the French animation school EMCA ( Ecole Des Metiers Du Cinema D'Animation). The colorful, hyper angular short centers around a man on the run with a distinct mark on his face, tormented by bizarre shape shifting creatures. Eventually, he finally figures out how to face his difference and turn the tables in a refreshingly understated matter. Really liked the art direction and animation style on this one.

Killing Floor: The Halloween Hillbilly Horrors Update!

It's that time of year! Halloween is fast approaching and things tend to get a little scary. Killing Floor, first released through Steam in 2009, is a first person shooter where players fight waves of zombie-like specimens which increase in difficulty until it concludes with a battle against a 'boss' specimen. You've got that right, it's pretty much Left 4 Dead with more bells and whistles, as well as a cult following. The game gets many event updates, and is already horror themed with references to many horror franchises hidden within so it's perfect for a Halloween update!

The event they will be holding is called 'Hillbilly Horrors,' and is running from today through to the 6th November. The update includes new achievements (with 6 only available through the event), maps, enemies and two new characters for your zombie killing style: The Grim Reaper and a cyborg chicken man. If you haven't picked the game up, you can get 75% off and 50% off all DLC for the duration of the event. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer, which is presented in the style of a classic horror exploitation film, with a Mystery Science Theater 3000 style twist at the end. Happy hunting!

Caravan Palace - Dramophone

Caravan Palace is definitely one of the more interesting groups we've covered in the last year or so, especially for the fact that they tapped into mostly forgotten genres (like 20's-30's era swing) and gave them a modern twist. The French group just released a new music video for their awesomely upbeat Dramophone track, which is from their excellent 'Panic' album (Which came out in March). The cheerful music video just proves that the power of dance can defuse just about any situation.

Towanoqwon - An Anime Worth Checking Out

It's been a while since I've had much excitement for new anime series (With the exception of the Evangelion reboots), but I'm pretty damn pleased to have recently discovered Towanoqwon, which definitely flew under the radar in my book.

The series revolves around a variety of gifted humans known as 'Attractors,' born with distinct powers yet hunted down by an underground organization known as 'Custos, ' a cybernetically enhanced group of soldiers. The group of Attractors are lead by Quon, an idealist trying to band all the gifted together against a common foe. Sound familiar? It's been said that the series does seem to draw a little inspiration from the classic Xmen saga, but with a more futuristic theme. As you probably saw for yourself, the series has some truly excellent animation and an awesome plot to boot, which really drew me in.

What makes it more intriguing is that this was the final project by Umanoske Lida, who actually passed away in late 2010, before the movies were even released. Over the course of his career he's directed some truly memorable series, including Devilman, Hellsing, Gundam and a few others, but didn't live to see this project come to fruition. The project was released in 6 installments theatrically in Japan, with the first one coming out on June 18, 2011 and the last on November 26 of the same year. The movies were also localized and released in the US early this year, but didn't receive much press attention unfortunately. To make up for that, you can get your hands on a copy here.

The Illustrations Of Victo Ngai

Victo struck me with her rich, colorful illustrations, which partially draw influence from a childhood in Hong Kong and exposure to the very graphic folk art in the region. Following her migration to the states for an art education, she also had the chance to draw inspiration from western masters including Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Norman Rockwell and many others, which contributed to her unique amalgam style. I just really like the sense of texture and patterns that she uses, mixed with her color choices which pop off the page.

Ever since getting her first break with her 'New Standard' piece getting accepted into Spectrum and garnering various accolades from the Society Of Illustrators, she's been quite the prolific editorial illustrator, contributing to a slew of publications. Check out more of her colorful work after the break!

Iron Man 3 Official Trailer

Other than The Avengers, I felt the majority of stand alone entries for the Marvel universe fell relatively flat; suffering from a predictable "super hero formula" that Marvel Studios has grown far too friendly with. Even with the cookie cutter format, Iron Man has always stood out as Marvel's flagship movie because lets face it, rich cocky assholes have never been more entertaining. Thankfully, Marvel isn't done with Mr. Stark as we're finally presented with their official trailer for Marvel's upcoming Iron Man 3.

The newest trailer is probably the most "serious" one yet, going for a much more dramatic tone compared to previous entries, although this time I can't seem to get as excited as I once did. Maybe I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of films Marvel has been putting out, but it also seems that this newest entry to the Iron Man series is falling into the same clichés the rest of the Marvel universe seems to be falling into. Here's hoping that come April 2013 I'll be singing a different tune, because I really want to keep watching these movies.

Sax by Dean Heezen

Animation student Dean Heezen is the creator of this fun yet chill short, aptly called 'Sax'. With a somewhat of a 90's look a feel, 'Sax' is simply a man and a woman dancing around a musical stage. The storyline isn't really there, and is instead focused on the art. The colors are bright, and simplistic: Focusing on a color at a time, playing of the stylish animation and cool and lively jazz.

Perpetual Energy Wasting Machine

We all waste energy & electricity, but the Polish have created a machine that does the job for us (The idea amused me greatly!). The "Perpetual Energy Wasting Machine" is a rope and pulley mechanism which moves an elevator continuously between the 1st and 2nd floor of a building in a infinite loop. The number of kilojoules are printed out straight into a wastepaper bin. This piece of art is truly a waste of time, and represents how much energy we waste and how little we care. Or don't care. The results are fascinating so give the short video a watch and maybe turn off your plugs when you leave the room!

Make: Believe - Sculpting Toys With Scott Hensey

The awesome debut of the Make Believe series features a spotlight on Scott Hensey, a man whom you've probably never heard of by name, but has probably been part of your childhood at some point. As a toy sculptor, Scott got his start working on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before it got big and has been doing it since (Over 30 years to count).

From action figures to cereal promo toys to McDonalds happy meal toys, it's fascinating to hear just how many classic toys this one man has contributed to (Star Wars, Pixar, Disney, Playmates, Tomy, Bandai, etc). The best part about it all is just how humble the man is and how much he loves his work for the fact that he puts smiles on kids faces. If you want to check out just how much work this man has put out, check out his company website over at Toysculpt.com. Loive it.

CYPHER: Cyberpunk Text Adventure

Early in September an indie text adventure game was released with little to no press, completely escaping my knowledge that it even existed. Fast forward to the end of October and here I am ready to rant over how much I love this game. CYPHER, at it's core, is a text adventure game (yes, the kind where you type each and every action) but the way it's presented is so goddamn sexy that I find it impossible not to love.

In order to fully immerse the player into the Cyberpunk world of NeoSushi, the Cabrera Brothers have provided some incredible art for each scene in the game. I found myself pushing forward to not only continue the story, but also see what would unfold within the games art. Along with the impressive art, the game is also accompanied by ambient sounds and music offering an impressive level immersion that seems to be lacking from a lot of current-gen games.

Among hundreds of text adventure games, CYPHER stands above the rest, proving that there is still room for innovation in a genre that many believe to be dead. If you're a fan of cyberpunk, detective noir, text adventures, art, or just plain fun I highly suggest picking CYPHER up for only $15 on their website.

If you're still on the fence hit the jump for a few pieces of art from the game.

The Art Of Tjalf Sparnaay

(Via)

Tjalf Sparnaay is a Dutch oil painter who's work falls under the realm of hyperrealism, and he is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary artists in that movement today. What struck me was his reoccurring food subjects, painted with such attention to detail that they nearly look tangible. Did I also mention that Sparnaay is a self taught artist, honing his craft for over 20 years now?

Check out more of the Dutch artists incredible (And delicious) work after the break, and I highly recommend also checking his Facebook page, which features glances at the mind boggling scale of his paintings.

Springtime Carnivores - Collectors

Reminiscent of a less depressing Lana Del Rey in both visual feel and tone, Springtime Carnivores' Collectors track is a cheerful ode to great memories and happy experiences, told via a beautiful series of retro slice of life photos. The band also released a fine little description of the track, which kind of reads like the plot of the upcoming Wachowski epic, Cloud Atlas:

'I am a traveler and my highways are circuit boards leading to you. You don’t know me, but long ago in another age we dined together in a ballroom in Versailles. I was the girl in the green evening gown and the shattered glass slippers. You kissed my hand. We were lovers once. We met in the park; on a pier; in the first-class cabin of the Titanic. We sank with the ship. I have written songs about all this and other things too. I hope you enjoy.'

Bioshock Infinite Is Back - Beasts Of America Trailer

Vaporware no more? After dropping countless jaws (Ours included) at 2011's E3, Bioshock Infinite disappeared from public view and failed to make an appearance at this years expo, much to everyone's confusion. Stories surfaced of a troubled development cycle, a lack of vision and focus around key concepts for the game, which lead to theories about the game possibly getting canned.

However, much to everyone's surprise a new trailer dropped today, featuring all new snippets of gorgeous looking gameplay and a tentative release date for early 2013, as well as a peak at goodies for the collectors edition. So while we're at it Irrational Games, what about getting an update for the 60's era Xcom project that has gone mysteriously missing as of late?

Orgesticulanismus

Created as a tribute to his father, Matthew Labaye's Orgesticulanisumus explores breaking away from the constrictions that would otherwise hold you down, and figuring out a new way to express yourself. In this case, Benoit Labaye (Matthew's father) suffered from a disease that over time removed his mobility, but he never gave up in spirit. As he put it towards the end (Translated):

'Sure, the stillness, the handicap, brings you to the conclusion and to the gradual acceptance that there's a certain number of things that you can't do. But conversely I think it opens a whole bunch of new possibilities, notably with inner freedom, inner space, but also with the way you can come in contact, in relation with others. I think there is in the handicap, in the disease, a lot of potential. The human being is inexhaustible at the level of desire, of energy, of inner strength. And it's something you discover with maybe more urge, more intensity, when you're deprived of movement.'

The beautiful animation goes into that aspect, breaking away from having limited motion to finding a new way to still enjoy life via inner strength. Absolutely loved the message, and the energy conveyed.

Playing With Fire

Rather ironically, we came across two rather badass videos that include some risky games with fire. In the first above, a group in El Salvador decide to arrive in some rough looking face paint before playing what looks like fire dodgeball. While I won't find myself playing such a game anytime soon, I was entertained in a "Are they seriously doing this?" sort of way, watching from the safety of my home office. But then comes along a man and his fire whip (see video below). It's a self shot home video of him doing a cool routine with the fire whips, in a way that reminded us of Ivan Vanko from 'Iron Man 2'.

Ultraista - Our Song

Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich's latest band, Ultraista just recently released their self titled debut, combining a love of electronica, afrobeat and tequila to create their dum & synth heavy sound. Out of all the track in their album, they chose the more glitchy 'Our Song' as the first track to get the music video treatment, going with a theme of light painting and stopmotion. Check it out.

The Borderlands 2 Art Dump!

(Via)

The extremely talented artist Matias Tapia released a large pile of the art he did for Gearbox's Borderlands 2. The Chilean based artists has been working for the company for years now on a remote basis (Damn Visas!), and has played a pivotal role behind visualizing the world of the stylish sequel.

Between Matias' quirky designs and HAWP co-creator Anthony Burch's zany writing, Borderlands 2 is one of the most entertaining games out this year, in my books. Check out a huge amount of preproduction art after the break! And on a side note, can't wait for the Mechromancer to get released.

A Sarcastic Farewell To Community? Possibly.

Community is one of the great, underrated comedies on television. With all the drama behind the scenes with production, it's lucky this series managed to get a season four, though it seems the drama hasn't ended just yet. This trailer stars the crew of the show and features Troy and Abed doing their best to explain the reasoning behind the missed air-date for the upcoming season premiere of Community. Quite possibly one of the biggest blunders NBC has made in recent memory.

The show, which was meant to premier on the 19th of October, got delayed for no particular reason and has been put on permanent hiatus. Whilst satirical (with some harsh words towards NBC) and amusing it relays a depressing truth; don't get your hopes up for any more Community episodes in the near future.

Cereal Pals By Guillermo Fajardo

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Guillermo Fajardo's awesome cereal themed image set was born from a simple question: Behind the facade of stylized, cartoony characters, what would cereal mascots actually look like in real life? Targeting Captain Crunch (A guilty pleasure of mine), the Trix Bunny, Tony the Tiger and Count Chocula, Guillermo created some truly amazing, grotesque illustrations with a treatment that gave me flashbacks of watching Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror.

Check out the rest of his awesome illustrations after the break! And follow his Facebook for news about his line of upcoming prints. Gotta catch 'em all.

Typesetter Blues

Animator Hector Herrera created an awesome short called 'Typesetter Blues.' It's the story of a sweet monster named Harold, who ends up falling in love with his co-worker. Sadly for Harold, she ends up with another, in this classic story of unrequited love. The story was written as the first chapter in the silly rhyme collection 'Beastly Bards'. Utilizing bright colors and soft shapes, it's pretty damn adorable looking. I especially love the textured stamp look and feel. 

The Art Of Anthony Goes - Motorcity And Beyond

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I'm not exactly sure as to the identity of Anthony Goes (An alias this artist goes under), but he does make it very clear on his Tumblr that he works on Motorcity, the excellent Titmouse production that has been gracing Disney XD's new lineup along with Tron. His specialty? Environment concepting, fleshing out the worlds and interiors present in the futuristic city of Detroit that Mike and his crew inhabit.

I absolutely love the way he concepts his work, emphasizing bold, graphic shapes and colors. The only thing I was left wishing for is more work or a direct link to his full portfolio, but this will do for now. Check out more of his awesome work after the break!

True Vulture - Death Grips

Ever watch a video and after the fact ask yourself, 'What the f*** was that?' Well, this fine collaboration between the Sacramento rapper Death Grips and animator Galen Pehrson accomplished that effect, and then some. With a visual style reminiscent of a cracked out Ub Iwerks toon, the video is an onslaught of bizarre, ever transforming imagery as the vessel of MC Burnett's lyrical prowess travels through the cosmos.

You Should Read - The Massive

What does it mean to be an environmentalist after the world’s already ended? This is the question that Brian Wood's 2012 comic, 'The Massive' presents. The story revolves around the environmental action trawler Kapital, which is scouring the earth’s oceans for it's missing sister ship: The Massive, while struggling to redefine its core mission.

I've been reading Brian Wood's masterfully crafted comic since it's debut, and whilst the story may not be for everyone it's a book I would highly recommend because of it's amazing art, original story and atmosphere. Linked above is the official animated comic adaptation released by Dark Horse, and part two can be watched after the break. They're a great taste of what the comic is about, but I'd still highly recommend tracking down the back issues and giving it a proper read.

Indie Spotlight - Ravaged By Dawn 2 Games

Did you know? Ravaged launched yesterday, a post apocalyptic team based FPS which achieved funding via a successful round of Kickstarter funding. Thematically, the game has been touted as everything that iD's RAGE should have been about but failed to deliver (The awful multiplayer comes to mind). The folks at Dawn 2 Games were also nice enough to release a demo on Steam to give players a chance to get a taste of what the game is about.

We had a chance to give the game a spin last night, and put together some highlights of blasting the Airwolf theme while raining fire and destruction down on everything below with their helicopters. Let's just say they weren't easy to pilot. You can get your hands on a copy of the game here.

The Art Of Ericka Lugo

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Ericka Lugo is a Puerto Rican illustrator who recently caught my eye upon hearing about her participation at Gallery Nucleus' Power In Numbers. If I've noticed anything about the generation of digital freelancers we've featured, their roads typically lead them to a showing at the LA gallery. I've come to see it as a launch pad for many an artist hoping to make a living doing what they love, a form of validation for their struggle.

Ericka's work simple, clean work is filled with a variety of metaphorical imagery that is left open for interpretation, mainly focused around female subjects. Check out more of her work after the break!

A.Skillz & Krafty Kuts - 50 Years of James Bond Mini Mix

You might not be aware, but 2012 marks 50 years of James Bond movies. As a result of this fifty year anniversary, the internet has been flooded with supercuts and remixes of the best moments in the franchise, but none quite as good as this one. This mix according to it's creators, features the 'best James Bond music, all the best James Bond scenes and all the best James Bond quotes. Girls, cars, suits, guns, action and music; this video represents all that is great about James Bond.'

You can download the Bond flavored mix on Soundcloud. Shame that they left out Garbage's World Is Not Enough theme song, that was one of my all time favorites. Oh well.

Talk Talk Model Britain - Even Models Needs A Break

This awesome ad by commercial director Danny Kleinman of Rattling Stick was created for TalkTalk, a British telecom company. The 3D stop motion ad features an entire miniature population of model village folks heading home to unwind with their families and loved ones. A fantastic, very literal interpretation of the slogan of the client, 'A brighter home for everyone.'

The Green Ruby Pumpkin

'The Green Pumpkin' is a short film that captures the essence of Halloween, from the costumes and feeling of make-believe, to the feeling of magic. It came about as a passion project for two senior visual effects artists (Miguel Ortega and Tran Ma). With a poem that reads a lot like 'The Night Before Christmas', the narrator talks about a story where children in some rather amazing costumes trick-or-treat at a home with a "green ruby pumpkin." Ultimately the pumpkin is stolen by a group of unlikely thief. I'd say this video definitely makes the argument that Halloween is by far the more "magical" of the holidays.

Gotye - Seven Hours With A Backseat Driver

In an interesting turn of events, Gotye's 2008 lesser known single from his awesomely named 2008 'Leanalilgivinanlovin' album just got the awesome music video treatment thanks to the folks at Rubber House studios. The distinct hand drawn animation style is courtesy of Greg Sharp and Ivan Dixon, the Melbourne duo behind the animation studio who have created work for companies including Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, Jib Jab and a ton of other companies. In the cyclical video, an elephants romp through a town descends deeper and deeper into paranoia and madness until it all spectacularly comes crashing down...Or does it? Fantastic.

The Art Of Michael Manomivibul - Dark Worlds

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Mike Mano has embraced monochromatic imagery as the way to express himself, and I feel that it works perfectly with the subject matter he typically conveys. His moody, aquatic themed pieces typically feature vintage divers, lost in an alienating sea filled with strange creatures and darkness. All color is sucked out of his worlds, which add that visual heaviness to the somber scenes he illustrates.

If you're in the mood for dark, atmospheric pieces, check out more of his awesome work after the break! And pick up some prints from his store while you're at it!

Katsuhiro Otomo's Son Draws

I had no idea that Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy, Memories) had a son, so finding out about him, let alone seeing how talented he was has been nothing short of a mind blowing revelation. Shohei definitely inherited some of his fathers style and talent, and enjoys working freehand with check this..Ballpoint pens on illustration board.

These 3 timelapses of Shohei drawing were created for Carhartt, an international clothing brand. Watching this man hatch in his drawings with such confidence is nothing short of maddening. It looks like the Otomo legacy will carry on for generations to come.

Die Antwoord - Fatty Boom Boom (NSFW)

Die Antwoord are officially the masters of 'WTF' musical videos, although at this point it shouldn't really come as a surprise. Fatty Boom Boom comes off the the groups Ten$Ion album from earlier this year, but this music video really couldn't have come at a better time. There's something about Die Antwoord that's infinitely catchy, even if the lyrics come off as a bit ridiculous (and often times nonsensical, I might have to make this a Zef-filled winter.

Little Red

Wow . . . Uh . . . There's not much I can really say about this other than "that was unexpected".  With an artist style very reminiscent to the the indie game Limbo, this retelling is definitely not you would expect. Give it a watch and see for yourself.

Hitchcock Warns Cinema Goers: No Phones!

A few days ago we posted the trailer for Hitchcock, a semi-biography about the making of Psycho and the life of one of the most famous directors of all time, Alfred Hitchcock. It's shaping up to be one interesting film, and hopefully not one ruined by modern technology. Speaking of which, this PSA from Alfred Hitchcock (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is a great little piece of viral marketing for the film. I honestly hate people who use phones in the cinema, and this short is one of many that I've seen that keeps the audiences attention and has one important lesson: PLEASE keep your phone in your pocket!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Okay, so I'd say our brains are officially fried here. With lots of super exciting stuff happening backstage here at Awesome-Robo, it's enough to drive anyone crazy. That means, break time. And not just any kind of break time, but Cute Mixtape break time! Feel free to join us, and check out the rest of the list after the break.

The Art Of Scatter Cluster

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Scatter Cluster, who also goes under the monicker of Swastika in some circles (The Buddhist kind, mind you) is a Tokyo based artist with an interesting digital portfolio. Whereas we're typically used to looking at people's finished, polished illustrations and art, Scatter Cluster isn't afraid to show off his exploratory work and experimentation with the digital medium.

From straight out glitch art experimentation to soft, flowy and painterly illustrations, this artists definitely isn't afraid to get out of his comfort zone on a regular basis. Check out the result of his awesome exploration after the break!

URULU - 1991

If you want a true blast to the past created in 2012, Urulu's latest track brings back hazy memories of early 90's house/club music. If you were a child of the 90's, the forgotten sound of that era that the LA based producer (Real name Taylor Freels) craved to bring back will evoke a rush of memories. The soothing video features a girl taking the night into her own hands following an unsuccessful attempt to enjoy a night with friends.

The Big Boy

Lee Kyu-tae created this beautiful somber animated short about a gentle giant. The giant is helpful to the local town/village in many ways, including use as protection during a storm, carrying large loads that would take regular sized people countless hours to do, and more. Unfortunately, there comes a day when his massive size works against him, in a very sad way. Ultimately he is shunned from the town, which also leads to the towns undoing. The soft look of pencil and a muted colors makes for a very subtle, moving animation, and Kyu-tae pulls it off wonderfully.

The Unsettling Art Of John Brosio

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If there's one emotion that John Brosio's work evoked in me, it was a sense of unease and discomfort. The 34 year old artist's body of work consists of dramatic compositions of man vs nature, witnessed by the strangely aloof, uncaring protagonists that inhabit his paintings. According to Brosio, these protagonists are a commentary on how people have become numb to violence, accepted it and come to simply ignore it without any action. As he put it, 'Oh, it's just happening there. Let's just walk around it.'

His work illustrates that all too common coping mechanism for life. We tend to ignore the impending danger that lurks nearby and act as if nothing is happening in order to attempt to stay relatively sane. I can't blame people for doing that, but at the same time there does seem to be something profoundly disturbing about this 'numbing' that has become so prevalent in our society. Brosio's surreal oil painted pieces present a dichotomy of beauty and danger which definitely will get you thinking. Check out more of his excellent work after the break.

More Wreck It Ralph Viral Marketing - Sugar Rush Speedway

I'm loving the direction Disney is taking with their marketing for Wreck It Ralph, by creating ads for the different 'original' game worlds that Wreck It Ralph travels to in a quest to find himself. Last week we featured the VHS-tinged Fix It Felix ad, this week we're treated to the sweet Mario Kart clone realm of Sugar Rush, recreated in the style of mid 90's ads. I haven't been this excited for a videogame related movie since they tied the reveal of Super Mario Brothers 3 into The Wizard.

Made On Earth

Time lapses never cease to amaze me. There's something unnaturally soothing about them that completely captivates me. Enrique Pacheco's Made On Earth is definitely no exception, showcasing some incredible shots that took my breath away with nearly every transition. While BBC's Planet Earth has some incredible shots, I wouldn't mind something like this to take up 2 hours of my day. Quick, someone needs to get on that.

Become A DigiDestined Today!

 

I'm not going to get into an argument on whether the Digimon animated series was better than Pokemon (spoilers: it is), instead I want to show off one of the coolest geek buys I've seen in a while. Etsy user, Duke Davidson, has crafted some amazing recreations of the original series' tags and crests all available to spend your hard-earned money on. For $170 the entire set can be yours, or if you're like me and enjoy choosing favorites, you can pick up a single tag for $25. Matt's Crest of Friendship wins this time.

Hit the jump for some closeups and head over to Chinook Crafts for some more awesome buys (bag of Rupees anyone?)

Sculptures by Shing Yin Khor

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Artist Shing Yin Khor (aka Sawdust Bear) created this awesomely adorable series for the Stranger Factory's Subterrane Exhibit. She's an artist who is influenced by 'bad science, historical hoaxes, and cabinets of curiosities,' which makes her entry into this particular exhibit very appropriate.

Not only are the bright colors she used eye poppingly appealing, but also how innocent she portrayed each figure. While they look extremely odd and other-worldly, they also come off as very harmless. Perhaps even, sweet? If you're in the Albuquerque area November 9 - December 2, definitely go check this show out! More after the break!

One More Beer!

Pedro Conti, a 25 year old 3D generalist from Sao Paolo, Brazil and a few of his friends got together to create this mini short about a warrior and his desire for one more drink to top off a night of debauchery. Despite being ridiculously short time wise, Pedro managed to create a cinematic quality production that shows of all his skills, ranging from modeling to lighting and hair simulation. With 137,000 views and counting on this recently released short, I'm guessing Pedro probably just got a lot of job offers in the mail the last few days.

Boys Noize - Ich R U

This melodic robo disco track from German DJ Boys Noize (Alexander Ridha) still fits the typical mold of what we've come to expect from the artist, albeit having a slightly softer tone than previous tracks like 'Oh Oh' and 'Jefer.'

Boys Noize brought in directors Sebastien Loghman and Patrick Jean to help them visualize this awesome stop motion tale of an entity discovering a new dimension outside his keybaord world.    'Ich R U' is from Boys Noize's 2012 album 'Out of the Black.'

Desolation

Starting off as a timelapse of natural beauty, Desolation transitions into the darkness of urban decay and forgotten realms. Despite being serene at first, Álvaro Rodriguez Barroso's soundtrack takes the tone of the video into unsettling territory. The video, in my opinion narrates two different mindsets..Open and acclimated to the beauty around us, with the flipside being locked in and trapped.

Mass

Mass: A body of coherent matter, usually of indefinite shape and often of considerable size.  Henning M. Lederer's visualization of Vaetxh's deeply atmospheric glitchstep delves into the sea of perpetual motion that keeps the world, and the universe going. From a watch to the orbit of planets in our solar system, the video starts out small and expands into something much bigger before ending on a subdued note. You can get Vaetxh's MASS EP over at KingDeluxe.

Absolutely No Words - Wrestling Supercut

Youtube user Lemon2Lime mentioned in the making of this video that, 'We heard them yell, shout and scream. But, who ever pays attention when they take that deep breath before they shout it out? Nobody does except for me.' Thus this hilarious retro-WWF video edit was born, featuring the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Ric Flair having A)Hyperventilation fits B)A whisper off.

The Show by Rebecca Hayes

This is an awesome, subtle short about the everyday life of a traveling circus. From the clowns to the Armless Wonder, and the Siamese twins, these folks are just like us. Kinda. All the while a little clown/jester boy happily skips from tent to tent, causing all sorts of mischief along the way. It's all rather anti-climatic, but a cool and rather relaxing animated short all the same. It was created, directed, and animated by Rebecca Hayes!

Will King Kong: The Musical Be The 8th Wonder Of The World?

Movie buffs could easily argue that King Kong is one of the most iconic film properties of all time. The 2005 Peter Jackson adaptation was amazing, but was far too long with a large amount of bulk that could have been cut. The 1976 adaptation wasn't bad either, but ever since I was young I've been obsessed with the original, 1933 version.

I guess I'm just a little fixated on the look of classic stop-motion animation, which CGI just hasn't been able to replicate (Even though Paranorman had us fooled). So when I saw this video I was blown away. Whilst it remains a preview of what will be coming in May 2013, it also shows one of the greatest animatronic setups I've ever seen. Kong is taking down the stage again! Lets hope that we get to see this Australian adaptation of the classic spread overseas.

The Goon Kickstarter

It's a special thing when an adult oriented (not XXX adult, but not a kid flick either) animation is made. Eric Powell's comic book 'The Goon' is in development to be made into a full length feature, to be headed up by Blur Studios. You might have already seen some of the work around online, but the truth of the matter is, it hasn't been funded yet. All the work you've seen has been proof of concept work, as a way to get people riled up about the film. And while we can certainly see the potential in such a raunchy animation, funding has been difficult for the studio to come by. Check out the proof of concept trailer above, and take a peek on over at their Kickstarter page! We really want this film to be made, to pave the road for other such films that we (and possibly you) desperately want to see.

Majora's Mask Wallet Needs To Hold My Cash

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I've never been one to worry about what my wallet looks like, but this has definitely made me second guess. Jacob Vadnais has created one of the coolest gaming inspired accessory I've ever laid eyes on and I'm already getting ready to make a wallet transfer. Unfortunately, as much as we'd all like to own one, his Etsy store seems to be completely out for the time being. 

For the time being you can hit the jump to take a look at the amazing detail. Who knows, maybe by the time you're done there will be more back in stock.

One Impressive Custom Lego Batcave

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We've featured Lego creations in the past, but I don't think we've featured one this intricate. The Batcave is a large part of the Batman ethos, and Wayne Hussey and Carlyle Livingston have built a stunning recreation of the legendary hideout. According to Hussey & Livingston, it took just over 400 hours over about three months, with modifications constantly being made.

Estimated at over 20,000 bricks, the installation weighs in at a hefty 100 pounds and features four LEGO Power Functions motors. Check out more photos of this breathtaking diorama after the break!

The Art Of Uturo

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If I've seen a common trend emerging with some artists overseas as of late, it's revolved around visual dissonance with areas of harmony. From artists applying this technique in a color sense, with visual noise, or in Uturo's case, both, I really love the way it all ends up working together (On the most part). In the case of Uturo you can see that his style is still developing, at times overwhelmed with too much visual chaos, but when he gets it under control it looks pretty damn awesome.

For more examples of this style, I'd recommend you check out the work of NuccoNucco, Dentyou, and Fiduciose. More work by Uturo after the break!

Kid Koala - 8 Bit Blues

This one take music video taken from the awesome DJ/Turntablist Kid Koala's '12 bit Blues
' album, which dropped late last month. Directed by Corinne Merrell and Louisa Schabas, the entire video had to be shot without any edits, which kind of leaves you wondering how many takes it took to get it right. The video narrates a trip from Chicago to LA to NY using a series of vignettes overlayed on a map of the states.  Nonetheless the final result is solid, and this guy does not joke around when it comes to his identity, he actually does dress like a Koala during sets. Enjoy.

True Skin

From N1ON comes a sci-fi short film called 'True Skin.' It tells the story of a future where humans elect to have themselves augmented by technology. It's a future where 'naturals' are shunned by a superior, implanted society. A man finds himself augmented with a classified implant, which turns him into a target of covert agents. It has a futuristic feel that isn't overly done or cheesy. Other have suggested that it feels similar to something like BladeRunner or even Deus EX: Human Revolution (Remember the Shanghai level?), but I think this has the potential to be an awesome feature on it's own merit.